


quick, act natural!

by funkism



Series: crush talk [2]
Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bickering, Covert Operation, Crushes, F/F, Gen, Minor Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul/Kim Jiwoo | Chuu/Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip, Minor Park Chaewon | Go Won/Son Hyejoo | Olivia Hye, Shopping Malls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:14:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25416754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funkism/pseuds/funkism
Summary: And you may ask,whyis it that Chaewon wants to kill Heejin?A more long-winded individual than Hyunjin would take you back to October 29, 2000. Hyunjin however considers herself adequately-winded and can make do with last Wednesday, a mere two days ago.
Relationships: Kim Hyunjin & Jeon Heejin & Park Chaewon | Go Won
Series: crush talk [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1840960
Comments: 24
Kudos: 56





	quick, act natural!

**Author's Note:**

> saw a good amount of people subscribed to 'the sweetest' even though there was no promise of a continuation and while I AM NOT SUSCEPTIBLE TO PEER PRESSURE the idea for this popped into my head one day and here we are. maybe read the other one before this. maybe.

“I hate this.”

“Shut up.”

“I swear to god if anyone from school sees—if _they_ see—”

“Chaewon, shut _up_!”

They just got here.

They just got here, and Chaewon’s ready to make an attempt on Heejin’s life. Hyunjin can sense it on the horizon—a very close, quickly-approaching horizon. Considering how many times this has already happened in the last few days, and the fact that they _just_ got here, Hyunjin makes the executive decision to rearrange their seating order before Chaewon’s tiny fists go flying. Gone is the time of Chaewon-Heejin-Hyunjin. Behold, invisible observer, the ingenuity of Chaewon-Hyunjin-Heejin. 

And you may ask, _why_ is it that Chaewon wants to kill Heejin?

A more long-winded individual than Hyunjin would take you back to October 29, 2000. Hyunjin however considers herself adequately-winded and can make do with last Wednesday, a mere two days ago.

The three of them were in Heejin’s room, chatting and making sock puppets, as they do, when a notebook slipped out from somewhere in Heejin’s bed frame. 

“What’s that?” Hyunjin had asked, toeing the notebook where it lay on the floor. 

“What’s—” Heejin’s eyes went wide when she realized what Hyunjin was talking about. She dove for it instead of answering, and that was all Hyunjin needed to kick it out of her reach and into Chaewon’s, the two of them huddling around it while Heejin clawed at their backs.

In it, were a couple of pages filled with timestamps and nonsensical—coded?—phrases framed by scribbled diagrams and the occasional stick figure. The most recent page, half-full and dog-eared, read:

> _June 6th_
> 
> _8:07am - f▇▇ and got here way 2 early. place hasn’t even opened yet. f f f f f f_
> 
> _/ 16a - sheeeEEEE !!! ! ! ! hh HH a !!! ! !! ! !_
> 
> _9:45am - J▇▇▇ working on smth_
> 
> _9:52am - bored_
> 
> _▇▇am - other one arrived. with a SALAD ! is that what it takes? IS THAT WHAT IT TAKES_
> 
> _I wish ._ I _had a salad...... hungy_
> 
> _10:32am - should’ve had breakfast. if no more notes after this I sucumbed. succumbed? succumbed_

“Guys. _Guys_ , give that back. Shit.”

Heejin wrenched a space between Chaewon and Hyunjin big enough to fit her arm through and snatched the notebook back, but it was far too late.

“Heejin?”

“Listen,” Heejin started, then stopped, notebook tucked tightly against her chest.

Chaewon narrowed her eyes and Hyunjin blinked, waiting.

“Okay, never mind, I don’t know how to say this—”

“Are you an actual danger to the public?” Hyunjin asked, picturing Heejin’s face on a wanted poster. “Because I thought we were joking this whole time.”

“I— _no_. I, may or may not, sometimes, maybe… spy—”

“Stalk?” Chaewon needled.

“— _spy_ ,” insisted Heejin. “On… um. Jungeun?”

And thus came to light Heejin’s Friday morning plans, which according to the notebook, had been her Friday morning plans for about a month or so. And if things ever truly got out of hand and Chaewon turned on them all, Hyunjin feels this would be a good moment to pinpoint as her villain origin story. Just, for future reference.

After almost flaying Heejin alive for, “stalking my _stepsister?_ Heejin, what the _fuck_?”,Chaewon demanded she bring her and Hyunjin along next time so they could ‘see’.

“See what!” Heejin had squawked.

“See how hard I have to beat your ass,” Chaewon said darkly, much to Hyunjin’s amusement.

So here they were, two days later, hiding behind two massive potted plants in the Hillside Plaza, the biggest shopping center in town; sitting Chaewon-Hyunjin-Heejin style.

“I’m just _saying_ , if they _do_ see us it’ll be because you’re making so much _noise_ ,” Heejin hisses, free hand tugging her hat down so it covers more of her forehead. The twigs and leaves fastened to the top rustle with the movement and Hyunjin squints, reaching up to touch the matching decorations on her own hat. (Heejin had made them put them on as soon as they were crouched behind the plants, _“for camouflage.”_ ) 

“Where did you even get these?” Hyunjin asks—because, really, they looked like Heejin pilfered them from a sitcom set. Her knee cracks as she repositions slightly and Chaewon flinches, frantically looks around to see if someone noticed, but the walkway is just as empty as it was when they came in. It’s supposed to stay that way for a bit, since they’re a level above the foodcourt, on the side that usually sees less foot traffic, especially considering it’s a weekday morning. Most of the shops weren’t even _open_. 

Could anyone walk their way at any given moment? Sure. Was it likely to happen anytime soon? No.

Regardless, Heejin whispers when she answers, “I made them.” Chaewon pinches off one of the leaves that droops down over the brim of her cap, rubbing it between her fingers.

“...Really? Then, where’d the leaves come from? They look so real.”

“That’s because… they… are?”

There was a stillness to them after that, for a multitude of reasons. Heejin for stealth, Chaewon stewing in the knowledge that Heejin only just now told them they were wearing real, honest to god foliage on their heads, and Hyunjin because that’s how she likes to be. 

It lasts a whole five minutes, broken by Heejin unzipping the duffel bag she brought along and hasn’t answered _any_ questions about. She sticks her hand in and procures two binoculars, Chaewon and Hyunjin stare for a beat before—ah, yup, there it is—Chaewon lunges for Heejin’s throat.

The horizon comes for us all. 

In Heejin’s case, the amount of time between horizons shortens with each one. If Hyunjin were her, she would consider this alarming. Perhaps indicative of a need for change within herself. Alas, Hyunjin is—

“Hyunjin,” Heejin says, voice airy with Chaewon’s hands around her neck.

Yes, she thinks, Hyunjin is Hyunjin. As it should be.

“Hyunjin. Help me.”

Oh. 

Heejin kicks and her foot hits one of the pots, rustling the bush inside. A laugh floats up from the food court and the three of them pause in a near perfect tableau. They wait, listen, and when nothing follows it Hyunjin glances over her shoulder, just in case. 

Nothing.

Here’s the thing. As much as Hyunjin doesn’t care about any of this, she would rather leave the same way they came in (unseen) than get caught, and she doesn’t see how that’ll happen with Chaewon (quite literally) at Heejin’s throat. The longer it takes for them to get enough “information” (Heejin’s words) on Jungeun, the longer Heejin will stay, the longer Chaewon will fume like a murderous little teapot, is all the longer Hyunjin will have to withstand all of it. 

With a sigh, Hyunjin pries Chaewon’s hands off Heejin, neutral expression almost slipping with the effort it takes. She’s got quite the grip strength in those little, little hands.

“Quit it,” says Hyunjin. “Look, we’ll sit for twenty minutes and then we’ll be out of here.” Hyunjin waves a finger in Chaewon’s face before she can interject. “ _You_ said you wanted to come along and see. Well, we’re _here_ and we’re _seeing_ , so just. Sit tight for _twenty minutes_ and hold off on killing Heejin until we’re somewhere less conspicuous.” 

“Wh—”

Hyunjin stares at Heejin until she closes her mouth and makes a placating gesture, turning back to the potted plant, binoculars in hand.

To her left, Chaewon’s jaw ticks as she bites her tongue—both figuratively and literally, probably—and says, “ _Fine_.” She settles into her spot, and Hyunjin huffs out a breath of relief. The bush rustles as Heejin practically shimmies _into_ its pot, trying to get a better vantage point.

“Whoever’s looking—Chaewon? I think you have the ‘nocs. Do you see them?”

There’s a beat and Hyunjin looks over to see Chaewon on her phone, fingers tapping away and a small smile on her face, the second pair of binoculars abandoned on the tile in front of her. 

“No,” Hyunjin says, “she’s texting Hyejoof.”

Chaewon droops like a wilted flower, a deep sigh leaving her body before she turns her pleading eyes onto Hyunjin. “You’re the only one that finds that as funny as you do. Stop it. Get some help.”

The joke tickles the dusty corner of Hyunijn’s brain that’s only ever stimulated by Vine references, long forgotten cogs turning again. While those get going, she checks with Heejin to verify this ‘not funny’ business. In true bird-watching form, Heejin takes care to keep the binoculars where they are, only acknowledging them with a sideways glance. “I guess… some would say it’ll be reaching the end of its lifespan soon. I don’t know.” Heejin shrugs. “It’s been a good couple of weeks.”

“A good couple of weeks, hm?” she repeats, squinting.

“Mhm.”

“Well, seeing as you,” Hyunjin points at Chaewon, “have personal relations with Hyejoo, and you,” she points at Heejin, “gave us ‘Hyejoof’ under duress, I declare bias and therefore will not stop, _nor_ get some help.” _Ding._ “I’ve been Renata Bliss, your freestyle dance teacher, and you’re watching Disn—” a hand clamps over her mouth.

“ _Okay_ , Hyunjin, we get it. Oh my god.”

Chaewon retracts her hand and Hyunjin laughs. Heejin shushes them but discreetly offers Hyunjin a fist bump. “That last bit was good.”

“Right?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Heejin,” Chaewon says. “You’ve broken the both of us.” She pretends to dial a number on her phone and holds it up to her ear. “Mom?” she says, voice quaking, “Heejin’s a stalker and Hyunjin’s stuck in 2015, can you come pick me up? I’m scared.” 

The phone being upside down is a nice, if unintentional, touch. 

Hyunjin snorts and Chaewon’s face breaks out into a smile as she flips her phone right side up again. Heejin sniffs, still looking through her binoculars. “So _dramatic_.”

Chaewon balks. 

A fitting reaction, Hyunjin thinks. If she were on the receiving end of that—from _Jeon Heejin_ nonetheless? Cataclysmic blow to the ego.

The plant rustles as Heejin leans further into the pot, elbows almost in the mulch. One of her hands gestures vaguely at the other two as she speaks.

“If you’re not going to use the binoculars can you pass them to—”

The binoculars are dumped in Hyunjin’s lap before Heejin can even finish her sentence, Chaewon happy to be as uninvolved as physically possible. 

Undeterred, Heejin scoops her notebook out of the duffel bag and tosses it so it lands over Chaewon’s phone. “You’ll take notes instead, then? Thank you~”

Chaewon eyes the notebook, jaw making the tiniest movement before she forcibly unclenches it. Hyunjin half-expects her to lash out again but she just moves the notebook onto her knees, pencil wedged between the pages, phone in front it. Chaewon goes back to texting Hyejoo and Heejin doesn’t say anything, leaving Hyunjin to examine her _‘nocs_ in peace.

At most, they look like a decently made kid’s toy, which is a relief to Hyunjin because she isn’t sure what Chaewon would’ve done if they found out Heejin had invested in high-end equipment to stalk Jungeun. Oh, god. The task at hand. Hyunjin had almost forgotten why they were here. To _spy._ On Jungeun. Or, more accurately, to spy on Jungeun and “Public Enemies One And Two” (i.e., Jinsol and Jiwoo. I.e., Jungeun’s Actual Girlfriends. I.e.,The Not-Heejins). 

“Target spotted,” Heejin mutters. 

Hyunjin assumes that means she should have said target in sight as well. 

She holds the binoculars and sighs once before using them to peer through a more sparse section of the bush. The food court isn’t that busy, too late for breakfast but not quite time for lunch. Half of the vendors still have their shutters down. Very strong liminal energy for a mall. 

“This is weird,” she says.

Chaewon makes a sound of agreement.

Heejin shrugs, used to it. 

“See them yet?” she asks.

Hyunjin huffs. “Hold on.”

She sweeps the binoculars slowly, feels kind of like she’s doing a crossword, except the letters are tables and she’s looking for one letter in particular. It goes: table, table, banana peel, empty to-go cup, woman on a laptop, table, gaggle of tweens, table, lone chair, garbage can, table, pen, hand, familiar face, table-table—wait, back it up, yeah, that’s Jungeun. Next to her, someone’s hunched over in their seat, arm outstretched as she tries to pick up the pen on the floor without getting up. Their laughs ring out as she almost tips over, and Hyunjin immediately knows who it is.

“Jiwoo,” she says. “Jungeun and Jiwoo.”

“Yup,” says Heejin, then, “Chaewon write that down.”

Hyunjin turns to see Chaewon pause mid-scroll to begrudgingly scribble down ‘ _11:14am - ~~Ju n~~ ~~J u ng~~ I can’t even write it out. ‘Target’ and Jiwoo. Here. Food court. Fuck you._’ in Heejin’s notepad. 

“Did she do it?” Heejin whispers out the side of her mouth.

Hyunjin hums an affirmative because, look, fair’s fair. The information was there, accompanied by a nice flourish at the end. Chaewon _did_ do it. So, _mhm_ it is.

Heejin breathes out a _wild_ , and goes quiet again. Hyunjin glances at her before resuming her position. She doesn’t even check to see what Chaewon’s up to, the keyboard clicks and breathy laughs speaking for themselves. Below, Jungeun and Jiwoo have folders and papers and notes in front of them, but they’re ignored as Jungeun tucks a piece of hair behind Jiwoo’s ear, mouth forming what looks like a _thank you_ as she takes her pen back. Jiwoo’s shoulders rise in delight as Jungeun leans forward and suddenly Hyunjin feels her mouth go dry. She clears her throat, eyes averted.

_Weird._

She peeks at Heejin, but her friend is unfazed.

Of course, Hyunjin thinks. Heejin’s probably seen this countless times by now. Is voyeurism a crime? Hyunjin wants to ask Chaewon to look it up, knows they’d poke fun at Heejin along the way, but she doesn’t—predicts, even before she tries, that the words won’t come out. 

Jungeun and Jiwoo separate. Hyunjin exhales. 

_Weird, weird, weird!_

Jungeun shoves at Jiwoo’s shoulder and moves some of the papers they have on the table to the side. It’s not immediately obvious why.

“So,” Hyunjin says, watching Jiwoo snatch a folder from Jungeun’s pile and squealing when Jungeun aims a jab at her side, “what’s… the goal, exactly, Heejin?” 

They’ve certainly asked her some variation of the same question many, many times, but now Hyunjin is, like, _really_ grappling with it. The implications and intent behind it all. It’s one thing to hear Heejin pining after Jungeun in Chaewon’s living room, but sitting next to her behind these potted plants, binocular frames pressing into the bridge of her nose, the question feels bigger. Not as easy to sweep under the rug. 

Back when they’d first broken the news that Jungeun had not one but _two_ girlfriends Heejin’s second impulse (after despairing) had been to conspire her way into spot number three. Hyunjin couldn’t really wrap her mind around it, why they were _here_.

“Infiltration, Hyunjin? Hello?”

Hyunjin frowns. “But, really—”

“Ooh. Wait, wait,” Heejin says, pointing in front of her. “Look.”

Hyunjin purses her lips but complies. The situation in the food court seemed the same as it just was, the only exception being Jiwoo sneaking a glance around the floor. She jumps in her seat and looks down, where Jungeun’s hand is poking her side. Hyunjin doesn’t see why Heejin would want her to see this and she’s about to ask when Jungeun reaches into a bag hanging off the back of her chair. She pulls out a card and sets it down on the table, pen twirling around her fingers as they look at it.

Eventually she starts to write, Jiwoo watching over her shoulder. They take turns with it, Jiwoo’s hair cascading down onto it until Jungeun flicks it over Jiwoo’s shoulder. Near the end, the two of them look at each other, something quiet and tender about it, and Hyunjin feels like she’s intruding.

Sighing, she puts the binoculars down.

“Won, they’re being cute and writing on a card,” says Heejin. “Two separate acts, for the record.”

( _11:25am - Card. “Cute”. Fuck you._ )

“Heejin,” Hyunjin says again, “seriously.”

Why does she feel so _weird_?

“Don’t you see it?” Heejin says, bewildered.

“See _what_?” 

Heejin laughs in disbelief, finally tearing her eyes away from Jungeun and Jiwoo to respond to Hyunjin. She gestures wildly at the potted plant, hat-leaves wobbling atop her head.

“Them! What they’re doing! What they are. What—what they _have_?”

Hyunjin shakes her head, lost. Next to her Chaewon’s looking between them, eyes wide, fingers still typing away.

Heejin puffs out a breath, says, “Figures,” and rocks back onto her haunches, as slumped as she can be without jostling her binoculars out of place.

“Have you ever had a crush, Hyunjin?” she asks.

The question catches Hyunjin off-guard, leaves her blinking at Heejin.

“What?”

“I know you’ve never mentioned having one, but I guess I’ve always been curious. You’ve never…? Ever?”

A familiar sense of detachedness rolls through Hyunjin, the topic of crushes has always been boring to her. Disappointing, even. 

“No. Never,” she says, brows furrowed. And it’s true. It’s always been true whenever she’s been asked. The staple follow-up of _Really? Are you sure? Come on, you can tell me_ from nosy classmatesand family members has eaten away at all of her patience for the topic. What’s so interesting about it? Why would Hyunjin lie about this, of all things? What’s so unbelievable about not experiencing something that’s been shoved down her throat as ‘normal’ her entire childhood? Who said—

“None of this makes any sense to you, then,” Heejin says. Her hands fidget around the curves of the binoculars. Hyunjin takes a deep breath, annoyed that she got lost in her own head so quickly. 

“To be fair, I don’t think this is a widely encouraged approach to having one,” Chaewon pipes up, shooting Hyunjin a look as she does. “A crush, I mean.”

“...Or two,” Hyunjin adds.

Chaewon cocks her head to the side. “Or three?” 

“Ha-ha, guys.” Heejin glances at them, then backpedals when she realizes they’re serious. “What? No. Seriously, no. I mean, not on all of them. Not like Jungeun. It’s—”

“How do you know?”

“What?” Heejin asks, words faltering at the interjection.

“How do you know you have a… crush,” Hyunjin says. Her eyes flick to Chaewon. “You too.”

Chaewon’s phone goes dark, her attention on Hyunjin. She pinches her mouth to side, hair falling over her face before she brushes it back. “Well, um. For me, it’s like... light?”

Heejin turns, elbow finally slipping into the pot’s mulch.

“Yeah,” Chaewon says, “it’s just kind of… grows. This feeling of… fondness. I want to see them more and I get butterflies sometimes, and… yeah. She, um, _they_ make me feel light... inside.” She nods, grimace growing as Heejin and Hyunjin stare at her. 

“Th—”

“Shut up,” Chaewon groans, burying her face in her hands.

“I didn’t even say anything!” Heejin cries.

“Shut _up_ , shut up, shut up, shut up. It’s your turn for crush talk.”

Heejin opens then closes her mouth.

“What? _What?_ ”

“Well, which one am I supposed to do? Shut up? Talk? _Hello?_ ”

Chaewon chucks the pen at Heejin’s head and, to their collective horror, it looks like it’s headed right over them, the bushes, the safety barrier, and straight down to the food court. It looks that way, but Hyunjin manages to swat at it mid-air, instead sending it careening into the potted plant in front of her. Chaewon clenches her fist, mouth half stuck in a silent scream before she wheezes a _holy_ fuck _, Hyunjin_ and collapses in her spot, her hat just barely staying on her head.

“I’ve never loved your jock ass as much as I do in this moment,” Heejin whispers, hand clutched over her heart. Hyunjin rolls her eyes, but gives herself a mental pat on the back. One of her sexier interceptions, she must admit. 

“Talk, Heejin,” Chaeown says, still laid out on the mall floor, “it was talk.”

Heejin sighs and motions for Hyunjin to look through her binoculars again. When she does, Heejin sits down with her back to the pot, binoculars in her lap and legs stretched out. Chaewon’s phone pings in her hand.

Below, Jiwoo’s sliding their card into its envelope, talking to Jungeun while she sifts around in her bag. Whatever her reply is, it has Jiwoo’s head swiveling around, looking for something. Hyunjin flinches even though she doesn’t necessarily look _up_. 

“Crush talk,” Heejin mutters next to her. “I guess there’s different kinds, and different ways to experience them. I’ve had some like Chaewon, where it’s light and nice. But I guess mine get more intense, where everything feels more… pressing? Like, I see them, and suddenly I’m thinking of everything I could do to make them see _me_. I want them to, so bad. I get hit full force with that yearning, baby! Except I can do something about it, potentially, so. I get caught up in that.”

_Woah_ , Hyunjin thinks, watching Jiwoo get out of her chair and Jungeun pick up the pile of things on her side of the table. Heejin’s words register in her head and Hyunjin’s eyes unfocus until she’s staring at the rims of the binocular lens. _That sounds—_

“That sounds unpleasant,” she says, honest. 

Heejin snorts and picks at the frayed hem of her shorts.

“It’s... really not though? At least for me. I think it’s exciting. That moment where you can just _tell_ , that something about this person draws you to them. _Something_ is _there_. Or… when you realize that about someone you’ve already met or known for a long time. Those can be unpleasant, I guess. Sometimes it’s not worth it, but you still get that… pit in your stomach, and the—” she taps at the space over her heart, fingers doing a quick _tap, tap, tap_. Hyunjin’s mouth is dry again and she can’t figure out _why_ it keeps _doing that_. She looks at Heejin out of the corner of her eye, catches the weird little smile on her friend’s face before it’s wiped away. “But, yeah. It’s usually nice. Fun, you know?”

_No_ , actually, Hyunjin does not know, but it’s a rhetorical question, so she just hums, urging her eyes to focus again as the little blobs below move around.

“They’re doing something,” she says.

Someone’s phone camera _snaps!_ and Hyunjin twists around to see Chaewon holding her phone over her head, selfie trapped in the little window at the bottom of her screen. She whispers, “sorry,” and turns the ringer off. 

“It looks like they’re getting ready to go,” Heejin says. “What time is it?”

Chaewon clicks her phone off and on.

“Almost forty past the hour.” 

“Hm. Can you write that down?”

A hand bumps against Hyunjin’s leg and she remembers the pen is still in her plant. She picks it out then passes it to Chaewon, who scribbles a new timestamp into the notebook. “The time and… that they left?”

“Wait, no,” Heejin says. Hyunjin squints to see that while they’d put pretty much everything away, Jiwoo and Jungeun were back in their seats. Without anything in front of them, they’re turned towards each other, leaning sideways into the back of their chairs as they talk. Jiwoo’s making explosive gestures as she talks, but is still careful to not disturb Jungeun’s hands where they’re twirling the ends of her hair as she listens. 

Hyunjin scratches at her hairline, forehead itchy under her cap. Her eyes wander, and it’s like it was earlier, except backwards and not really! Jungeun and Jiwoo, table, garbage can, table with extra chair shoved under it, table-table-table (the tweens have relocated), woman sipping her cup of coffee, table, table, old man with a sweatband strolling by, head of bleach blond hair—oh?

“I think...” says Hyunjin, “incoming…?”

“What! Where?” Heejin practically jumps in her spot, binoculars combing through the food court before Hyunjin can give any further specifications. 

She faintly registers the sound of Chaewon moving stuff around behind them, too amused by Heejin desperately trying to find what, or _who_ , Hyunjin saw. 

“Oh, hey,” Chaewon says. “Guys?”

“Hyunjin don’t be a bastard just tell me where—”

“What, you don’t see her yet?”

“Oh my _god_ , where, where, where—”

“Guys.”

A very specific background noise stops, and a new voice says, “What’s up, losers.”

Heejin and Hyunjin duck, scrambling to turn around only to see Hyejoo standing right behind Chaewon, skateboard kicked up into her hand; wheels still rolling, chains swinging from her belt loops.

“You?” Heejin squints at her, and then at Chaewon. “What the hell?”

Chaewon waves her phone. “Hyejoo was nearby and I’m pretty sure we’re just about done here, so I asked her to come get me.”

She stands and dusts off her skirt, reaching up to take her hat off.

“Oh, what? That isn’t part of your outfit?” Hyejoo asks, putting on a pout.

“Definitely _not_ ,” says Chaewon, swatting at Hyejoo. 

“What are you doing,” Heejin whispers, writhing in a ball almost as if to compensate for Chaewon being upright.

“Oh, sorry,” says Hyejoo. She coughs and puts a finger to her ear. “Son to HQ, yeah, this is an extraction.”

“They won’t notice me or whatever. We probably won’t even go in that direction, so don’t worry,” Chaewon says, finger hooking onto one of Hyejoo’s chains. “Hyunjin said twenty minutes, and you know what? She was right, I’ve seen enough. Now, I’m going to spend the rest of my Friday with my g—with _Hyejoo_.”

Hyunjin chuckles and Heejin stares as Chaewon scratches her head.

“Aw, _baby_ ,” Hyejoo breaks the silence with a smile. She hooks an arm around Chaewon’s neck, ignoring the squeal she lets out. Chaewon’s hands unintentionally (but maybe intentionally on Hyejoo’s part) circle her waist for balance. “You can say _girlfriend_. I’m yours, aren’t I?”

“Um,” Chaewon mumbles, cheeks bright red. “Go. We’re going. Bye Hyunjin. Bye Heejin.”

“You don’t want to stay with your friends—?”

“ _Hyejoo_.”

Chaewon steals Hyejoo’s skateboard as Hyejoo laughs, does a running start and everything, wheels rolling on the tile as she makes her escape. Hyejoo watches her, a fond look on her face before she turns to Heejin and Hyunjin.

“Check her out. We’ve been practicing! Pretty good, huh?” She sighs, not giving them time to respond before she salutes them, jutting her chin out in their general direction. “Gotta go catch up. See you guys later. Oh, and head’s up? Someone’s looking over here, I think.”

Heejin gasps so hard Hyunjin worries she’s done something horrible to her diaphragm for, like, a _fraction_ of a second. She lets out a deep, guttural, “ _NO_ ,” as she whips around, hands searching for her binoculars. Hyunjin peeks over the plant, thinking, _whatever, if the damage is done let’s just see it for what it is_ , except she forgets about the hat, and if Hyejoo’s laugher hadn’t caught the attention of the girls below (it had been Jinsol before, so officially, ‘the girls’ consisted of Jungeun-Jiwoo-Jinsol), Heejin’s cry and Hyunjin’s _fucking leaf hat_ bobbing over the railing certainly did. It wasn’t even a question of _maybe they actually didn’t_ because Jungeun-Jiwoo-Jinsol are all standing up and Jiwoo’s pointing up at them and Hyunjin’s _pretty sure_ she hears her say, “Who’s that?”

“Oh, fuck,” Hyunjin says. She drops down to her knees, barely catching herself before they split against the tile. “Oh, _fuck_.”

“Did they actually see?” Heejin says frantically, shoving everything she can get her hands on in the duffel bag.

“Yes. Yes, yes, _yes_ , Heejin, holy shit, we have to go.”

“Already ahead of—”

“ _HEEJIN?_ ” 

“— _go, go-go-go-go, oh my_ fuck _, go_.”

Hyunjin rips the hats off their heads and barely checks to see if Heejin is ready before she’s booking it out of there, spurred on by the sound of chairs scraping against the food court floor and _one_ voice in particular. 

Look, she doesn’t know Jinsol or Jiwoo, but she sees Jungeun fairly regularly. And out of the three of them (Chaewon-Hyunjin-Heejin), Hyunjin likes to think Jungeun likes her the most. So, she _runs_. 

A few of the stores on their floor are finally starting to open up, so really, they left just in time. It does however mean they get the occasional employee sticking their head out of a shop to see who’s thundering down the walkway. 

“You with me?” Hyunjin asks over her shoulder.

“Yeah,” Heejin gasps. 

Hypothetically, Heejin’s carrying more stuff, if she managed to get the binoculars, notebook, and her duffel bag. Hyunjin just has a hat in each fist (Chaewon having tossed hers in the duffel before she left). It’s nice to know Heejin holds up in these kinds of situations. Running is a useful skill, especially if she plans to ‘spy’ again in the future.

Hopefully she doesn’t after this, but she might. 

That’s the crazy thing! She just _might_. 

Hyunjin’s not sure she’ll ever understand.

“Corner! Go right!” Heejin whisper-yells.

She skids as she turns, Heejin’s hand briefly on her back when she follows. 

“Are they _chasing us_?”

“ _I don’t know!_ I can’t hear anything with the blood rushing in my—hey, _watch out, watch out, WATCH—_ ”

Something cold slides down the front of Hyunjin’s shirt and she can’t help but shriek, recoiling as she runs right into someone. Heejin stutters to a stop next to them, doubled over and panting, squinting behind them.

“Oh my god. My heart’s beating so fast, I feel it in my throat. My side. Oh, my side. Stitch in my side. Oh, god, Hyunjin I have a stitch in my side.”

Hyunjin, truly, could not care less about any of that, too busy staring at the prettiest girl she’s ever seen in her life—and the empty ice cream cone in her hand.

“Um, sorry. About that,” she says, slightly winded. 

The girl’s eyebrows pinch in the middle as she looks at Hyunjin’s shirt. “Are you kidding? Sorry about _that_. I didn’t realize…” she looks at Hyunjin again and her eyes glint, “well, I guess it’s not every day I’m ran into. Especially not by someone like you.”

Hyunjin’s mouth goes dry, and she understands, a little bit, maybe.

“I’m Hyunjin,” she says.

The girl smiles.

“I’m—”

“Ryujin!”

Heejin perks up, immediately turning to the girl’s friend. 

“Yeji?”

“Heejin!”

“You know them?” Hyunjin asks. 

Heejin turns to her, thumb pointing at Yeji like she can’t quite believe it’s her.

“Yeah, she plays on the—”

“ _JEON HEEJIN._ ”

“—nevermind! Not the time. Uh, we should—”

“ _HYUNJIN?_ ”

“Fuck,” they say at the same time.

Hyunjin looks at Ryujin and sighs. 

“Sorry,” she says. “Again.”

Ryujin raises her eyebrows and takes a bite out of her cone. 

_Tap, tap, tap_.

“Make it up to me sometime?” 

Heejin shoves at Hyunjin until they’re both moving and she barely gets to glance back, much less think of what to say before they’re running again, Jungeun rounding the corner behind them. Ryujin and Yeji wave, and then they’re gone. 

It isn’t until they’ve lost Jungeun in the biggest outlet store in Hillside and holed themselves up in a different store’s lone changing room to catch their breath that she thinks, _I will._ As sure as the sweat that drips off her forehead onto the carpet under her feet, she will.

**Author's Note:**

> I will say here and now that I do not intend to keep writing for this series but life is crazy, anything can happen, call a friend you haven't talked to in a while ! hope you enjoyed this ! it'd be pretty # sick if you left a comment*. I'm looking at you, orbits. you can do it, I believe in you. 
> 
> (*'hell yeah' is a perfectly acceptable comment)
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/itsmclovinbot) & [cc](https://curiouscat.me/lexiconartist)


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